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Ceremonials 




Unveiling of the Statu k 



i^. 



Gov. JOHN A. ANDREW, 



At the State House, 



Euestiag, jFeiiruarg \\X\ 1871. 



" I know not what record of sin awaits me in the other world; but this 1 do know, 
that I never was so mean as to despise any man because he was poor, because he was 
ignorant, or because he was black." — John A. Amlrew. 




BOSTON : 

WRIGHT & POTTER, STATE PRINTERS, 
79 Milk Stueet (cornek ok Federal). 

1871. 









/ 



V/\iSS 1 cVinsttta. Gr&i\«Ta\ towT't 



CEIIEMONIALS 



UNVEILING or THE STATUE 



Gov. JOHN A. ANDREW, 



k 



'^ 



^ 



At the State House, 



Tuesday, February 14, 1871. 




BOSTON: 

WRIGHT & POTTER, STATE PRINTERS, 
79 Milk Street (corner of Federal). 

187 1. 



J 



A^-'^s' 



House of Representatives, February 20, 1871. 

Ordered, That five thousand copies of the proceedings and speeches at the pre- 
sentation of the statue of John A. Andrew to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
be printed for the use of the Legislature. 



Sent up for concurrence. 



W. S. ROBINSON, Clerk. 



Senate, February 23, 1871. 



Concurred. 



S- N. GIFFORD, Clerk. 



PEELIMINAEY PEOCEEDINGS. 



RESOLVE OF APRIL, 1868. 



Resolved, That foy^ consent and permission, npon the part of 
the Commonwealth, is hereby given to the application of Jacob 
BiGELow, Wm. Gray, F. W. Lincoln, Jr., Otis Noeceoss, 
Wm. Amory, Samuel H. Walley, Feancis Bacon and W. 
W. Clapp, to place a statue of the late John A. Andrew in 
a niche in the north-west corner of the Doric Hall of the 
State House. 



LETTER FROM GOV. WM. CLAFLIN. 



commonwealth of massachusetts. 

Executive Department, Boston, 
January 21, 1871. 

To the Honorahle Senate and House of Bepresentatives : 

I have the honor to transmit herewith, for such action as the 
Legislature may deem proper, a communication from the Hon. 
Wm. Geay, chairman of the committee " appointed to procure 
and present to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts a statue of 
John A. Andrew, in marble," informing me that the statue 
has arrived, and that it will soon be placed in position in the 
Doric Hall, as designated by the Resolve passed by the Legisla- 
ture of the year 1868. 

WILLIAM CLAFLIN. 



Statue of John A. A^idreiv. 

LETTER OF HON. WM. GRAY. 



Boston, January 20, 1871. 
To His Excellency William Claflin, Governor of Massachusetts : 

SiKj — On behalf of the committee "appointed to procure 
and present to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts a statue of 
John A. Andrew, in marble," upon whose application the Re- 
solve of 1868, chapter 37, was- passed, I have the honor to in- 
form you that the barque Frank Marion, with the statue on 
board, arrived this morning from Italy. 

The consignees state that it will probably be ten days before 
the statue can be taken from the barque, after which it will be 
placed in the State House, vmder the direction of Mr. Hajvoiett 
Billings, acting for the sculptor, Mr. Thomas Ball. 

After the statue shall have been placed in its position, the 
committee will be happy to unite with the Government of the 
State in such ceremonies as may be fit for the occasion. 
I am very respectfully yours, 

WM. GRAY, Chairman. 



In accordance with suggestions of the Governor, the follow- 
ing Joint Committee was appointed. On the part of the Senate, 
President Horace H. Coolidge, Messrs. Bird of Norfolk, and 
Fox of Suffolk ; and on the part of the House, Speaker Harvey 
Jewell of Boston, Messrs. Cogswell of Salem, Beard of 
Brookline, Adams of Quincy, Pratt of Braintree, and Paine 
of Blackstone. 



Proceedings at the Unveiling. 

REPORT OF THE JOINT SPECIAL COMMITTEE. 



COMMONWEALTH OJ" MASSACHUSETTS. 

In Senate, February 10, 1871. 

The Joint Special Committee on the subject of the presentation 
to the Commonwealth of a statue of the late Governor 
Andrew, 

REPORT: 

That they have conferred with the committee of the donors 
of the statue, and find that it is agreeable to that committee 
that the ceremonies of presentation should take jDlace on Tues- 
day, the 14th instant, at 11 o'clock in the forenoon, in the Doric 
Hall of the State House, where the statue now stands, and that 
the presentation should be made by the Hon. William Gray. 

Your Committee concur in the recommendation of the time 
and place before named, and have requested His Excellency the 
Governor to accept the statue in behalf of the Commonwealth, 
which he has consented to do. 

In view of the limited capacity of the Doric Hall, your Com- • 
mittee have considered carefully the number of persons w^ho can 
be present, and find that the members and oflicers of the Legis- 
lature, in all about 300 persons, the Lieut. Go^^ernor and Coimcil, 
with members of the Governor's staff, the heads of departments, 
will leave only space for the presence of the two Lieut. Governors 
and members of the several Councils under the administration of 
Gov. Andrew, together with the members of his family and his 
personal staff, and for the committee of the donors of the statue, 
with a few distinguished persons to be invited by the Governor. 

They therefore recommend that the front entrance of the 
State House be closed on Tuesday next, between the hours of 
ten and one o'clock, and that no persons be admitted except 



8 



Statue of John A. Andreiv. 



those before enumerated, and those especially invited as above 
indicated, and that the members of the two branches meet in- 
formally in their respective chambers, at 10| o'clock on that 
day, and proceed thence to the Doric Hall to meet the commit- 
tee of the donors and witness the presentation. 

For the Committee, 

HORACE H. COOLIDGE, Chairman. 



. Senate, February 10, 1871. 
Accepted. 

Sent down for concurrence. 

■ S. N. GiFFORD, Clerk. 



House of Repeesentatives, February 10, 1871. 

Concurred. 

W. S. RoBiNSOisr, Clerh. 



House of Representatives, February 10, 1871. 

Ordered,. That the Joint Committee on the reception of the 
statue of the late Gov. Andrew have full power to carry out 
the order of the Legislature, as exjsressed in the report of said 
committee. 



Sent up for concurrence. 



W. S. Robinson, ClerJc. 



Concurred. 



Senate, February 10, 1871. 
S. N. GiFFORD, Clerk. 



Proceedings at the Unveiling. 9 



CEREMONIALS 



UNVEILING OF THE STATUE. 



The ceremonials of the presentation and unveil- 
ing of the statue took place, in accordance with 
the above orders, in th^ Doric Hall of the State 
House, on Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 1871, at 11 o'clock 
A. M., in presence of the State Government, both 
branches of the Legislature and invited guests. 
The statue was veiled by the American Flag. 

Hon. Horace H. Coolidge, President of the 
Senate, called the company to order and sj)oke as 
follows : — 

BftMAEKS OF President Coolidge. 
Your JExcdlency, Senators and Hepresentatives r 

"We have met to-day as Representatives of the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to receive in her 
behalf from her generous and patriotic sons the 
gift of a statue of her great war Governor, and to 



10 Statue of John A. Andreiv. 

place it beneath the dome of the Capitol, where his 
noble work was done, here in this Doric Hall, 
whose pavement echoed so often to the sound of 
his footsteps, as he went forth to hail and bless the " 
conquering banners of the State and of the nation, 
now faded and drooping behind his image, and to 
pledge the faith of the Commonwealth, that here 
it shall stand forever in memory of his great deeds, 
and of the love and veneration of a grateful jDeople. 

Address by IJon. William Gray. 

May it ^^?e«se you?' Excelle7icy», Mr. President Mr, Speaker^ 
and Gentlemen of the Legislature : 

On the 30th day of October, in the year 1867, 
a private citizen of Massachusetts died at his resi- 
dence in Boston. His death was regarded as a 
great public and private bereavement. The official 
authorities of the city of his adoption expressed 
their own feelings and the feelings of the whole 
community in appropriate Resolutions. The public 
officers of the State and city, and great numbers of 
private citizens, on one of the loveliest days 
of autumn, attended his remains to their restinof- 
place on earth. On the invitation of the City 
Council of Boston, a eulogy was pronounced by an 
intimate personal friend, and public and private 



'Proceedings at the Unveiling. 11 

grief joined in recognition of the high traits of 
character which formed and adorned him whose 
statue I now unveil to your expectant eyes. 

[The flags covering the statue were here drawn 
aside amid the applause of the audience.] 

On the 6th day of May, in the year 1868, a Re- 
solve of the Legislature of Massachusetts was 
approved by the Governor, giving full consent and 
permission, upon the part of the Commonwealth, to 
place a statue of the late John A. Andrew 
in a niche in the north-west corner of the Doric 
Hall of the State House. 

Before the living generation shall have passed 
away these records will have no place in the minds 
of men generally. They will remain in the archives 
of the city and State, to gratify the investigation 
of the curious, and the lovers of reminiscences of 
former days ) but the life and character of him 
whom they were designed to honor, will live in the 
hearts of all who recognize the worth of honest 
purpose and faithful endeavor, and who welcome 
with fervent gratitude to the Giver of all good, 
conspicuous examples of high resolve and earnest 
devotion to the welfare of others. 

John A. Andrew died a private citizen. "With- 
out the previous political training, which is the 



12 Statue of John A. Andreiv. 

customary school for those who occupy high puhhc 
station, he entered upon the office of Governor of 
Massachusetts in January, 1861, and retired from 
that office after a service of five years.- During his 
whole term he met the great opportunities of the 
time, and of his place, with a manly, faithful 
and fearless spirit. He illustrated in his own ex- 
ample the ojiening words of his first inaugural 
address: "Whatever shadows may cloud for the 
time our national horizon, walking in^ the faith 
which becomes men — rational, immortal and believ- 
ing — who perceive in difficulties only obstacles to 
be overcome, let us meet the duties, and, if need 
be, the dangers of the future, with lofty and tri- 
umphant cheer." 

The public authorities, in their full expressions 
of the public sorrow at the time of his death, 
recognized the sentiment of the people, and their 
public duties were ended. The sons and daugh- 
ters of Massachusetts, as individuals and private 
citizens, were not willing to leave their duties 
unperformed. Governor Andrew, in his devotion 
to the public service, had entirely relinquished 
the practice of his profession, and left at his 
death a moderate property, quite too small for 
the support and education of his family. In 



Proceedings at the Unveiling. 13 

addition to his widow and four children of ten- 
der years, he left two sisters whom he had aided 
during his life and whose comfort required such 
assistance. Soon after his death some of his 
friends, four hundred and twenty-five in number, 
placed in the hands of trustees, eighty-six thou- 
sand five hundred and sixty-six dollars and fifty 
cents, to be expended at their discretion, with a 
single eye to the welfare of his family. The in- 
dividual subscriptions to this fund Avere from ten 
cents to one thousand dollars, and among the 
donors were many of the race who justly regard- 
ed him as their peculiar friend. A portion of 
the fund has been set apart for his two sisters, 
and the income of the residue has been applied 
to the benefit of his widow and children. So 
was realized the faith which he had in the rela- 
tions between himself and the people of Massa- 
chusetts. He had declined the office of collector 
of customs for the port of Boston, voluntarily 
tendered to him by the President of the United 
States; an honorable and lucrative office, held by 
two of his distinguished predecessors after they 
had . retired from the executive chair. "When 
asked why he did not accept the appointment, he 
replied with a calm self-reliance on his own future, 



14 Statue of John A. Andrew. 

if he lived, and a faith as to that of his family if 
he were early removed, " that is not the office for 
me; the people of Massachusetts will take care of 
my family." 

One other service remained to be performed. 
At a meeting held in Faneuil Hall on the 18th 
day of January, in the year 1865, a committee was 
appointed for the purpose of erecting a statue of 
Edward Everett, and by the terms of the sub- 
scription for that object, it was provided that any 
surplus which might remain should be disposed of 
as the committee should direct. Five hundred 
subscribers contributed to this fund the sum of 
thirty-three thousand dollars. After procuring a 
statue of Mr. Everett, which stands in the Public 
Garden, a bust of him, which is in the Public 
Library, and a full length portrait of him, which 
hangs in Faneuil Hall, a large sum remained. 
From this fund the sum of five thousand dollars 
was given towards completing the equestrian 
statue of Washington in the Public Garden, and 
the sum of ten thousand dollars was appropriated 
for a statue of John A. Andrew, in marble, to be 
placed in the State House. The committee, to 
whose discretion was intrusted the disposal of the 
surplus of a fund whose contributors reside in clif- 



Proceedings at the Unveiling. 15 

ferent parts of the State, believe that their action 
will meet and gratify the wishes of those whom 
they represent. In execution of their plan, the 
general committee appointed a sub-committee, and 
charged them with the duty of procuring and pre- 
senting the statue to the Commonwealth, and upon 
the petition of this sub-committee the Resolve of 
May 6, 1868, was passed. Mr. Thomas Ball, a na- 
tive of Charlestown, long resident in Boston, and 
now in Florence, was selected as the artist. He 
has completed his work to the acceptance of the 
committee, and the statue now stands in this hall, 
here to remain, the gift of private citizens to the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as a memorial 
of the affectionate regard in which the people of 
the State hold her distinguished son. 

At the time of his first election as Governor, 
with the exception of a seat in the House of Rep- 
resentatives of the State for a single year, Mr. An- 
drew had never held public office, and it might 
have been thought that he would have felt the 
want of experience in public affairs. If such ex- 
perience be desirable in some cases, there was no 
need of it for him. He could say : " I have for 
twenty years past been a constant and careful ob- 
server of public men and affairs; and for twelve 



16 Statue of John A. Andreio. 

years, at least, I have been intimately aware of the 
private as well as the public declarations and con- 
duct of the representative men in almost every 
town and village of the Commonwealth." And in 
the same address he said : " Shall a reactionary 
spirit, unfriendly to liberty, be permitted to sub- 
vert democratic republican government organized 
under constitutional provisions? Upon this issue, 
over the heads of all mere politicians and parti- 
sans, in behalf of the Commonwealth of Massa- 
chusetts, I appeal directly to the warm hearts and 
clear heads of the great masses of the people." 

The occupation of public office in very early life 
is more frequently an injury than an advantage to 
him who holds it. In political affaii^s, in the indis- 
pensable necessity of political parties, the greatest 
of all dangers to individuals is that they may jdeld 
the convictions of their own judgment to the iron 
rule of party dictation; that they may blindly re- 
gard the good of the party and the good of the 
State as identical; that they may surrender their 
own intelligence to the seeming indications of pop- 
ular will. There is no class of questions, touching 
the material interests of a people, of greater impor- 
tance in the view of a thoughtful mind than those 
of political science. They affect the well-being of 



Proceedings at the Unveiling. 17 

every individual; upon them rests the rights which 
belong to all; included in them is the legislation 
which will best promote the rewards of industry, 
which will advance the standard of education, 
which will establish the principles to . govern and 
guide a community, problems complex in them- 
selves, and requiring, for a just application, patient 
investigation, calm consideration and unselfish aim. 
These problems are enduring in character and in- 
fluence, which is clearly shown by their gradual 
though slow adoption by political parties so flir 
and so fast as it appears that the people intend to 
carry them into practice. It is obvious that one 
who would exert a large and permanent influence 
should study to inform himself upon such problems, 
for their true solution always depends upon great 
principles. How fully Governor Andrew held 
these views, his own language in describing the 
people of Massachusetts will clearly show. " Look- 
ing forward to the long ages of the future; build- 
ing always, in their own minds, for countless gen- 
erations yet to come ; they have endured and are 
willing still, cheerfully and hopefully, to endure 
much wrong and more misconception, because they 
trust in the blood inherited from heroic ancestors; 
in the principles of constitutional liberty; in the 



18 Statue of John A. Andrew. 

theory of democratic institutions; in the honest 
purpose of the intelligent masses of the people 
everywhere; in the capacity of truth and right 
ultimately to reach and control the minds of men; 
in an undying affection for their whole country, its 
memories, traditions and hopes; and above all in 
the good providence of God." 

In his earnest advocacy of all measures to pro- 
mote the highest education in the Commonwealth, 
his large and comprehensive views are conspicu- 
ously shown. " That we should continue to build 
on the foundation our fathers laid, endeavoring to 
make actual in the life of our society their ideal, I 
religiously believe. Let us plan to concentrate 
here the ^ gladsome light ' of universal science." 
" Doubt not that in the wonderful future about to 
dawn upon our country, the part you are to enact 
of beneficence and glory, under the inspiration of 
your generous culture and expanding thought, will 
transcend all the former achievements of your in- 
dustry, and will outshine the lustre of your arms." 

Whilst his eloquence on appropriate themes 
manifested the strength of his convictions and the 
warm and bright play of his fancy, his concise 
statements on matters of business evinced a versa- 
tility ready for all topics. " All the scrip hitherto 



Proceedings at the Unveiling. 19 

issued by Massachusetts (January, 1865), she is 
bound to pay, and she will i)ay — both interest and 
principal in gold — to all holders, with the cheerful- 
ness which becomes her spotless honor, and the 
promptness of an industrious, economical and 
thrifty Commonwealth." 

It will be fully conceded that Governor Andrew 
carried into, and maintained in his office personal 
independence and unselfish aims; that he never al- 
lowed personal ease to interfere with the punc- 
tilious performance of all that devolved upon him; 
that he exercised a sleepless vigilance over the wel- 
fare of all in military or naval service ; that he re- 
garded himself, at all times and in all places, as the 
servant of the Commonwealth and of the country. 

There are fires in the breasts of some individuals 
which rarely sleep. They are lighted by the God- 
given spirit which animates such persons. The 
unceasing restlessness which they constantly stim- 
ulate tends to- prostrate the bodies in which they 
live, but, while exhausting the indi^ddual, they carry 
forward the race. With a full knowledge of the 
danger to which he was constitutionally exposed, 
and which ultimately caused his ^death. Governor 
Andrew, believing that life consists in the full em- 
ployment of all the powers and all the opportuni- 



20 Statue of John A. Andrew. 

ties placed in the hands of man, permitted no re- 
gard to consequences to interfere with the attempt 
to reach the ideal which he ever kept before hun. 

There is no more attractive study than the 
growth of a human mind. Sometimes the victim 
of conflicting forces, which for awhile render pow- 
erless the will; at other times struggling bravely 
against the tendencies which would destroy its 
personal independence; at one time the slave, at 
another time the master of outward circumstances ; 
the variety of the phases which it presents Iniows 
no parallel in any other study; and when we ob- 
serve a continued growth, an increasing power 
over the minds of others, an unfaltering upward 
step, we become fascinated to follow, if we may, 
the law of its development. 

Growth depends largely upon temperament, 
upon large human sympathies. The intellectual 
faculties, however great in their range, in their 
acuteness, in their brilliancy, if isolated from hu- 
man sympathies, give no warmth to bless mankind ; 
whilst the combination of such powers with such 
sympathies is the most efficient instrument used by 
Providence for tlie regeneration of the race. Such 
a combination can only exist with unselfish single- 
ness of purpose, and with convictions proof against 



Proceedings at the Unveiling. 21 

all assaults, resting upon principles "whose seat is 
the bosom of God." 

Governor Andrew was a growing man. The 
great events of the time in which he was a con- 
spicuous actor, aided his growth. His individual- 
ity of character, his strong sense of personal obli- 
gation, his sympathetic disposition, led him to ob- 
serve and adoj^t ideas which attracted him, and his 
entire fearlessness and depth of conviction impelled 
him to express and act upon such ideas. Having 
lived through the storm of war, having entire faith 
in the will and in the ability of the people to carry 
into practical effect the great principles which the 
war had established and settled by the obliteration 
of all legislation which impaired in any way hu- 
man rights, and by conferring upon all of every 
race political and personal freedom, he believed 
that " the true question then was not of past dis- 
loyalty, but of present loyal purpose. We need not 
try to disguise the fact that we have passed through 
a great popular revolution. * * * The people of 
the South, men and women, soldiers and civilians, 
volunteers and conscripts, in the army and at home, 
followed the fortunes of the rebellion, and obeyed 
its leaders, so long as it had any fortunes or any 
leaders." "We ought to demand and to secure 



22 Statue of John A. Andreiu. 

the cooperation of the strongest and ablest mmds, 
and the natural leaders of opinion in the South. 
If we cannot gain their support of the just meas- 
ures needful for the work of safe reorganization, 
reorganization will be delusive and full of danger." 
" In this hour of triumph, honor and religion alike 
forbid one act, one word of vengeance or resent- 
ment. Patriotism and Christianity unite the argu- 
ments of earthly welfare, and the motives of 
heavenly inspiration, to persuade us to put oif 
all jealousy and all fear." 

'^o production from his pen shows such mature, 
full thought, such frank and free discussion, and 
has such marks of great ability and sagacity, as his 
valedictory address to the two branches of the 
Legislature in January, 1866. Reading its pages 
with the light of subsequent events there are in 
them prophecies already fulfilled. 

The distinguishing trait, or rather the most 
marked combination of qualities in him, appears in 
his public spirit. Born and brought up in a ISTew 
England home, commencing his professional life in 
its metropolis, under the narrow circumstances 
which have marked the early lives of nearly all the 
distinguished men of our country, he saw that 
national wealth, in the largest sense, was to be 



Proceedings at the Uiweiling. 23 

fostered and promoted by the large spirit of indi- 
vidual citizens. As he had learned from his own 
experience the pressure of narrow circumstances, 
he felt a quick sympathy for others in like condi- 
tion, and his interest in individuals led him to a 
large interest in the people. 

May it please your Excellency and Gentlemen of the Legis- 
lature : 

The private citizens who have placed in this hall 
a statue of John A. Andrew, now offer it to the 
acceptance of the Commonwealth. There is no 
spot on earth so fit for him to stand upon. Under 
the dome of the Capitol, the witness of his ex- 
hausting toil of five years, in the vestibule to the 
halls of legislation, where his counsels were ut- 
tered, and to the Council Chamber of his cares, 
anxieties and hopes ; in the presence of and " be- 
neath a hundred battle-flags, war-worn, begrimed 
and bloody, proud but sad memorials of the glory 
and the grief of war," the great magistrate 
will stand " the observed of all observers." From 
that portrait-statue will proceed an influence to 
kindle the aspirations of the young, inspiring them 
to walk worthily in their lot, and to awaken the 
gratitude of all, that in the hour of the greatest 



24 Statue of John A. Andrew. 

trial of our country, Massachusetts had a Chief 
Magistrate worthy of her own fame. 

Address of Goveen^ok Claelin. 

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Committee : 

By request of the honorable Senate and House 
of Kepresentatives, and in . behalf of the people of 
the Commonwealth, I accept the statue of the 
loved and honored Chief Magistrate who held the 
executive chair during one of the most eventful 
periods of our country's history. The generous 
donors of this beautiful work of art are entitled to, 
and will receive, the lasting gratitude, not only of 
the people of this State, but also of the whole 
country, for giving perpetuity to the form and 
features of the man whose life was such a bright 
example to the world of earnest patriotism and 
noble devotion to duty. 

A little more than ten years ago John A. 
Andrew took the oath of office as Governor of 
this Commonwealth. Though pale with emotion, 
his voice was firm ; and his whole demeanor 
showed his fixed resolve to meet undaunted the 
weighty responsibilities which, even then, the 
excited state of the country showed were soon 



Proceedings at tlie Unveiling. 25 

to devolve upon him. N^o man ever came to the 
office with less actual experience in public affairs. 
Like the martyred President, he had become 
known to the country by his steady advocacy of 
human rights, and his earnest belief in human 
progress. Notwithstanding this want of experi- 
ence, from the very first he took hold of the helm 
of state with a firm grasp, and the people soon 
learned to rely upon his almost unerring sagacity 
and unflinching courage. Conscious that the 
mighty conflict of opinion then in progress was 
soon to assume vaster proportions, and perhaps 
terminate in war, he endeavored to be prepared for 
any and every emergency. His predecessor, rea- 
soning on general principles, had wisely urged 
upon the Legislature the imj)ortance to the public 
safety of a well-disciplined militia, and that body 
had placed in his hands the power of organizing 
and equipping an increased military force. Gover- 
nor Andrew, very soon after his inauguration, 
commenced to prepare, this force still more thor- 
oughly for immediate service. 

His first active participation in the war exhibits 
the man, revealing his promptness, energy and 
practical talent. Receiving information from Gov- 
ernor Clifi'ord and the Hon. Stephen H. Phillips, 

4 



26 Statue of Jolin A. Andrew. 

then in Washington, that it was the probable 
intention of the rebels to seize that city, he 
instantly summoned the Council, who met on the 
fifth of February, 1861. He informed them of 
the situation of affairs at the capital, and in 
accordance with his earnest request, an order was 
passed to furnish overcoats for two regiments of 
the militia, as not a company in the whole State 
was then fully equipped to march at a moment's 
warning. This was probably among the first 
steps, if not the very first efficient one, taken by 
any Chief Magistrate to defend the nation; an act 
of which Massachusetts may well be proud, and 
which enabled her troops, though five hundred 
miles distant, to be with the earliest to defend the 
menaced city, and to relieve the President and the 
inhabitants from their terrible anxiety. 

From that time to the close of the war he gave 
himself no rest, but everywhere by voice and pen 
he lu'ged the government and people to push on 
the war for the unity of the nation, l^o man ever 
heard him express a doubt as to the final issue of 
the conflict, but with unfaltering faith in the justice 
as well as the success of the cause he labored to 
secure an early victory. He lived to see the 
nation triumphant, and peace restored. And then, 



Proceedings at the Unveiling. 27 

true to the instincts of his nature, he immediately 
proposed amnesty for those lately in rebellion, 
and demanded that the freedmen have equality 
of rights with their former masters. We stand 
here to-day, proudly remembering that his aspira- 
tions have been realized, and more than realized, 
— that his words, then seemingly prophetic and 
far beyond the ideas entertained by most men, 
foreshadowed events now become historic. And 
these events, passing beyond even his anticipations, 
attest that an unseen Hand moves the hearts and 
directs the purposes of peoples and nations to 
issues far beyond the expectations of the broadest 
intellects. 

Other Governors served their States as faithfully 
perhaps, and amid greater difficulties, but no one 
of them gave such lofty inspiration to the contest. 
Other Governors achieved high honor, but no one 
gave to the people such an impression of unselfish 
devotion to duty and the cause of the country. 
Other Governors doubtless have served this State 
with as sincere a purpose to advance her best 
interests, but no one of them ever had such an 
opportunity to speak, in glowing language, those 
noble sentiments which should animate the people 
in times of disaster. The State was fortunate 



28 Statue of John A. Andrew. 

indeed, in this trying period, in finding one so true 
to her character and history. Even in early man- 
hood he gave promise of all this greatness, for at 
the age of nineteen he wrote to a friend, quot- 
ing this patriotic expression: "One constitution, 
one country, one destiny," and adding these soul- 
stirring w^ords: — 

" {Stand fast, hold on, fear not ; a few bullet-holes through 
the bodies of reformers, though they destroy mortal life, are 
only so many sky-lights for the truth to shine through, — and 
so much the sooner will its light illumine the nations." 

This was the lofty utterance of his early days, 
and beautifully do we find that loftiness tempered 
and softened by the now familiar sentiments, 
expressed during his public career, — 

" I know not what record of sin awaits me in the other 
world ; but this I do know, that I never was so mean as to 
despise any man because he was poor, because he was igno- 
rant, or because he was black." 

To this portrait-statue will resort in all after 
time friends of humanity and freedom, for they will 
recognize in his character those traits which endear 
men to each other and which ennoble the contests 
that so often attend the progress of the race and 



Proceedings at the Unveiling. 29 

the advance of Christian civihzation. Here they 
will receive new inspiration and learn to trust to 
high motives and honest purposes, rather than to 
selfish designs and the arts of ambition. 

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Committee : 

Again I thank you and the donors, in behalf of 
the people of the Commonwealth, for the gen- 
erosity which has given to them this statue of Gov- 
ernor Andrew, — now worthily placed near that of 
the Father of his Country and surrounded by the 
memorials of the momentous contest in which he 
bore so important a part, and to the successful issue 
of which he really gave his life. Be assured it will 
be faithfully preserved to future generations. 



/ 



till 

'Old 703 122 A 



